Blood-sucking fish may be the key to curing paralysis

Could there be a link between blood-sucking fish and repairing spinal cord injuries in humans? Scientists seem to think so!

Lamprey can completely heal themselves from a severed spinal cord and full paralysis in just 10 to 12 weeks.

Scientists discovered that the genetic changes making this happen occur in the spinal cord. However, unexpectedly, the changes occur in the brain as well.

This discovery, published in Scientific Reports, is huge because humans share these same genes.

By controlling these genes and the pathways' on and off switches, such as the 'WNT Signaling Pathway' required for regeneration in the fish, researchers can look for improvements in spinal cord therapy for humans.